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Monday, August 19, 2013

Culinary adventures - On shore - cruising with P&O

As my family contemplates our time aboard the Pacific Pearl cruise ship with P&O cruises (from December/Jan 2012). I realised there was a post that never made it to fruition. And that is the culinary adventures of our shore trips. We left Auckland Dec 26th and took in some gorgeous places throughout the pacific. Whilst the cruise was a long time ago. Our small children talk about it, like it was yesterday.

I just have one photo to share with you from Port Vila in Vanuatu. This cake whilst unassuming looking, was seriously tasty. Grandma Kiwicakes and I had morning tea, in the restaurant of a hotel, that was out over the water. We could see fish swimming in the water below.

My hubby loved the garlic snails we purchased at the Isle of Pines in New Caledonia (I was too scared to try them). We also purchased what my kids describe "as the best hot dogs ever" - the long french bread sticks were filled with what can only be described as a cross between chorizo and salami. I have to agree, it's the best hotdog, I've ever had!

Our time spent in Noumea, was my favourite shore trip. I was really looking forward to trying out my 5 years of school girl french. I didn't do too badly - I even managed to impress myself, when turning to my hubby to say "look at that", the first thing that came to mind was "regardez la!". We left our cruise ship and joined a short tour around Noumea taking in some of the popular sites. At the top of a lookout, we pulled over and our hosts opened up enormous boxes from the local patisserie.

Of course I was the only one crazy enough to need lots of photos of them.

There was toffee

Filled with yummy patisserie creme

a dark bitter ganache may also have been consumed.

This kitchen store I got a little waylaid in - it was directly opposite the docks.

A little local colour

The smell within this air conditioned chocolate store was addictive

I'm used to marzipan fruits - but not marzipan breads!

I bought one of these marzipan peaches to take home - it was so hard to decide what to buy ( a fair few other things from this store may also have made it in to my bag)

These funnels caught my eye

This designer homewares store was such fun. I got a little tangled up in a few goodies here. A few sets of demi tasse came home with me from here.

The brioche and breads in this bakery were amazing, they fashioned breads in to all sorts of shapes for the holidays.

And if the bread wasn't already a fancy shape, you could adorn it with a bread crown.

I snapped this photo from the pages of their photo album. They made profiterole towers - or pirate ships

The supermarket directly opposite the docks - I wanted to take home to be my local supermarket. The bakery department, was nothing like you'd ever see in a NZ supermarket. Imagine caneles at your fingertips every day.

Grandma Kiwicakes & I - in the interests of research took back to the ship with us, one of every flavour macaron. We declared the violet the winner (and just about made ourselves sick in the process).

The petit fours were amazing considering they were simple supermarket fare.

The enormous bags of sugar almonds and silver cachous/dragees were only aprx $16NZ - I'll admit quite a few of those came home with me too. Fancy finding those in a supermarket!

I snuck in to Chocolat Morand while Grandma Kiwicakes was otherwise occupied. The window display had caught my attention. This large cone had circular discs, placed up the cone to act as shelves to hold up the chocolates - it was then covered in a burgundy metallic lustre.

Whilst I was there, I was able to purchase a couple of treats for Grandma Kiwicakes, as it was her birthday while we were away. Nougat and violet cachous - two of her favourites.

And right before we climbed aboard our cruise ship for what was to become our last shore visit (due to rough seas we could not disembark at Norfolk Island). Hubby & I settled in for a quiet wine along the docks, whilst Grandma Kiwicakes entertained the kiddies on board the ship.